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Dolby Digital 2.0 (French)

Independence Day

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on March 27th, 2002

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This film has been met with mixed but mostly rave reviews (Maltin only gives it 2.5 stars) since it was released. I loved it. It wasn’t just the spaceships and groundbreaking effects but the well-rounded cast that makes this film a future classic for me. Goldblume’s quirky nerd works perfectly here (more than it did in Jurassic Park), Quaid is a simple joy, Will Smith showed that he has grown out of the “Fresh Prince” stereotype, and anyone who thought Judd Hirsh wasn’t anything more than Taxi’s Alex must have been awed by his performance.
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Jurassic Park II: Lost World

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on March 25th, 2002

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“Welcome back to Jurassic Park”. How do you make a blockbuster better? The simple answer is: You don’t. The story for this one is about as contrived as a good Godzilla film. Call it the politically correct Jurassic Park. The high point, however, is bigger, better, and cooler dinosaurs. The T-Rex and raptors are back but now they’re joined by dozens of new species to gape at. The movie is actually fine until the ending. What was Spielberg thinking? Substitute Tokyo for San Diago and we’ve seen it too many times before done better.

Cinderella II: Dreams Come True

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on March 21st, 2002

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Intro

If you have small children, this DVD is made for you. The story and animation are not as good as the original (of course), but this disc is a great spin for the kids.

Synopsis

“Discover the magic that comes after “happily ever after” as CINDERELLA II continues the enchanting story of Cinderella. All of the dazzling fantasy and colorful characters from Disney’s original CINDERELLA return, including Cinderella, Prince Charming, the Fairy Godmother, Jaq and Gus, and the evil stepsi…
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Bandits

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on March 20th, 2002

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Intro

This film has an all-star cast, and a very funny story. This Special Edition release of Bandits is very good… and the film should entertain.

Synopsis

Loosely based on a true story, Bandits tells the tale of Joe (Bruce Willis) and Terry (Billy Bob Thornton), two convicts who break out of prison and stage a daring series of bank robberies by taking the bank manager hostage the night BEFORE the robbery, then getting him to open up the bank. Joe is the ladies man and prone to…
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Bull Durham

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on March 17th, 2002

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Intro

Writer/director Ron Shelton says, in his commentary, that one of the things that pushed him to make Bull Durham was the sense that nobody did sports movies right. Mission accomplished: here is a film about baseball that can be enthusiastically embraced by those of us who have no interest in, or knowledge of, baseball.

Synopsis

Devout member of the Church of Baseball, Susan Sarandon selects a player each year to coach in the arts of love and of the game. This year, her two candida…
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The Mummy

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on March 14th, 2002

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It was the Universal Horror classics of the 30’s and 40’s that baptized me into the world of films forever. Although I wasn’t born when these films were made, like the creatures they portrayed, they came back to life for me on TV Shock Theaters and the writing of Forrey Ackerman. Now Universal has once again resurrected one of its marquee monsters for a new generation of fans. The fusion of modern-day CG effects and an Indiana Jones flair for adventure make this a remake worth viewing.The film was an unexpected gem for both Universal and fans.

Hunchback of Notre Dame II

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on March 10th, 2002

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Intro

It is the season for animated sequels, and right on the tail of Cinderella 2, Disney has released The Hunchback of Notre Dame II.

Synopsis

“Return to the magnificence of Notre Dame in Disney’s all-new movie, THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME II, a fun, romantic adventure told with vibrant animation and music as soaring as its setting. Still the faithful protector of Notre Dame’s beloved bells, Quasimodo now rings them with the help of Esmeralda’s and Phoebus’s little boy,…
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Peter Pan

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on March 3rd, 2002

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Intro

Another Disney Classic gets a Special Edition Release. Everyone knows the story of Peter Pan, but for those of you who have been living under a rock for the past 100 years, here is a synopsis…

Synopsis

“Now fully restored and remastered in a glorious Special Edition — this timeless tale will live in your heart forever. Let your dreams take flight with this original Disney classic that never grows old! Bursting with fantasy, adventure, and pixie dust, Walt Disney’s 14th animated…
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Barcelona

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on March 2nd, 2002

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Film

Genuinely witty comedies with an idea or two in their heads are rare enough that each one that shows up is cause for celebration. So go ahead. Celebrate.

The set-up is familiar: the romantic misadventures of two mismatched friends. The odd couple are Ted (Taylor Nichols), basically a yuppie Woody Allen, and Fred (Chris Eigeman), who cheerfully admits to being every European’s worst assumptions about Americans. The objects of their affections are Tushka Bergen and Mira Sorvino. What’s d…
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Romeo & Juliet

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on February 28th, 2002

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Intro

Baz Lurhmann’s Romeo & Juliet, as is the case with Moulin Rouge, was made to be seen and heard in a format such as DVD. His films are so visual that they can only be truly appreciated in the highest of quality… that is where this Special Edition release comes in.

Synopsis

“This ambitious undertaking takes William Shakespeare’s classic tale of star cross’d lovers and relates the story in a glossy music video style in modern day (1996) Florida. Leonardo DiCaprio and …
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Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on February 26th, 2002

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Intro

It is about damn time that The Empire Strikes Back made it to DVD… oh wait; this is Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back, not The Empire Strikes Back (Damn it). Oh well, at least we now have one “Strikes Back” on DVD, and it is a dandy DVD release.

Synopsis

“First seen in Kevin Smith’s breakthrough film “Clerks,” Jay and Silent Bob have continued their adventures in both live-action movies and animated television shows. In JAY AND SILENT BOB STRIKE BACK, when they learn that t…
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Va Savoir

Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on February 26th, 2002

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The sort of film it seems comes out of Hollywood only as a fluke, but emerges regularly out of Europe: the intellectual romantic comedy.

Synopsis

Camille, leading lady of an Italian-language theatre troupe, has returned to Paris for the first time in three years. Though her lover is the director Ugo, she seeks out her ex, Pierre, and her feelings are not exactly simple. Ugo, meanwhile, is searching for a rare play, and is attracted to the daughter of the woman who owns the manuscript. The set-up is…
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Bad News Bears

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on February 9th, 2002

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Intro

In this world of political correctness it’s a breath of fresh air to revisit this classic film from 1976. Sadly, it’s been given a completely lackluster DVD release.

Synopsis

A washed up former minor league baseball player (Walter Matthau) is given the task of taking a hapless group of kids and turning them into a team. With the help of his secret pitching weapon (Tatum O’Neal) they take a run at the pennant.

Audio

Presented in Dolby Digital 5.1 and Mono. Gi…
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Venomous

Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on January 29th, 2002

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Fred Olen Ray, director of B-movies beyond counting, strikes again, with a DVD release some steps up from what many movies of this type receive.

Synopsis

In 1991, Iraqi agents blow up a secret US government lab, releasing genetically modified rattlesnakes (don’t ask). Over the years, these snakes breed, and in the present, minor earthquakes drive them to the surface, and they infect whoever they bite with a virulently fatal virus. Treat Williams is the small town doctor who must save the day, while…
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When Strangers Appear

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on January 29th, 2002

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Intro

This is the new film from writer/director Scott Reynolds, who brought us The Ugly, a stylishly weird psycho-thriller from a few years back.

Synopsis

Radha Mitchell runs a diner and a motel by herself in a middle-of-nowhere little town. One morning, she opens her diner and strange young man comes in. He’s been stabbed in the gut, and he needs her help. He’s terrified of a group of surfers who arrive shortly after him. He says they’re after him. Should Mitchell believe him?

Die Hard

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on January 26th, 2002

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Say the name Bruce Willis and what is the first thing that comes to mind? Lately Willis has excelled in roles that have redefined him as an actor. Of course, I’m talking about films like “The Sixth Sense”. But when I hear Bruce Willis I think of John McClane. Die Hard was the film where Willis “made his bones” in Hollywood and revolutionized the action film forever.

Synopsis

John McClane just can’t catch a break. It seems his wife has moved from their home in New York City, where John’s a cop, to L.A.
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Shrek

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on January 25th, 2002

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Intro

The makers of this DVD have thought of just about everything to deliver a film that has as many layers as an onion and can be enjoyed by both children and adults alike. A parent is able to let their child watch their own full-frame version of the film on one disc while they watch the widescreen version on another. Thereby preventing the young one from continually asking, “Daddy, why do you keep laughing when they say Farquaad?”

Synopsis

The classic fairytale spun on its head. …
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Vampire in Brooklyn

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on January 25th, 2002

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Intro

Before Wes Craven’s career was revived by Scream, and before Eddie Murphy’s was by The Nutty Professor, the two of them made this.

Synopsis

Eddie Murphy is Maximillian, the last vampire, and he has come to Brooklyn looking for the one woman in the world who, if she becomes his mate, will save his race. That woman turns out to be Angela Bassett. Along the way, various denizens of Brooklyn run afoul of the supernatural creature.

This rather unusual collaboration doesn’t exact…
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Baby’s Day Out

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on January 23rd, 2002

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Intro

Think of this John Hughes script as the logical conclusion to the Home Alone phenomenon.

Synopsis

Baby Bink lives in pampered luxury, cared for by his nanny while his two twitty parents carry on with their twitty upper class lives. Three bumbling crooks kidnap Baby Bink and take him downtown. It’s not long, however, before he escapes, and blithely crawls around the city. Our crooks chase after him and into one catastrophe after another.

Audio

The music is good,…
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Baise-Moi

Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on January 22nd, 2002

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In 1993, Virginie Despentes burst onto the French literary scene with Baise-Moi (“F**k Me”), a snarling novel who’s unblinking, deadpan, yet philosophically pointed excess places it in the tradition of Sade. In 2000, Despentes and Coralie Trinh Thi co-directed and scripted this adaptation, which has already forced the French government to re-evaluate its ratings rules.

Synopsis

Nadine (Karen Bach) is a prostitute. Manu (Raffaela Anderson) has done porn films, and has just been raped (in a t…
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Adventures of Huck Finn

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on January 20th, 2002

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Intro

This release has added interest now for the later careers of its director and star: Stephen Sommers is now best known for his Mummy films, and Elijah Wood is currently sporting a British accent as Frodo Baggins.

Synopsis

Based on Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, the original American picaresque, the film follows Huck Finn, fleeing his terrifying father, and Jim, an escaped slave, as they travel down the Mississippi in search of freedom, encountering no end of colo…
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What’s the Worst That Could Happen?

Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on January 5th, 2002

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Intro

We’ve just had one recent battle-of-the-rogues release with Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. Here’s a more recent film in a similar vein, with Martin Lawrence and Danny De Vito duking it out. Curiously, Glenne Headly features in both.

Synopsis

Martin Lawrence is a charming thief. Danny De Vito is a charmless businessman. When De Vito catches Lawrence robbing his home, he turns the tables and steals Lawrence’s precious ring. This, of course, means war, as the two men use all the means at …
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Glass House

Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on January 3rd, 2002

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It’s one of the oldest childhood nightmares: your parents die, and evil guardians take over your life. The story has been told by countless fairy tales. The Glass House transposes the tale to contemporary California.

When Ruby (Leelee Sobieski) and Rhett (Trevor Morgan) are orphaned, they are taken into the care of Terry and Erin Glass (Stellan Skarsgård and Diane Lane). This couple seems to good to be true, and, of course, they are. Erin is a junkie, and Terry is in hock to the mob.
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Taboo (Gohatto)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on December 26th, 2001

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Intro

A recent effort from director Nagisa Oshima, perhaps best known for In the Realm of the Sense, Taboo continues his elegant exploration of sexuality and dangerous passions.

Synopsis

Imagine a samurai version of Death in Venice, and you have some sense of Taboo. The year is 1865, and a militia has two new recruits. One of them, Kano, is decidedly adrogynous, and the other recruit, Tashiro, promptly falls in love with him. As time goes on, more and more members of the militia fall u…
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Ghosts of Mars

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on December 15th, 2001

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Intro

Ouch… this movie carried such high expectations that its failure on so many levels came as a major disappointment. After such remarkably entertaining schlock-horror epics (and legitimate cinematic masterpieces) as “Hallowe’en,” “ In the Mouth of Madness,” and “Escape from New York,” “Ghosts of Mars (GoM)” came of as a…
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